Speaker Series

Our Process Menu

Throughout 2016, we brought speakers to our campuses in Middlebury, Vermont, and Monterey, California.

These speakers helped to spur our thinking and prompt conversations about the future of higher education, the role of liberal arts colleges in a changing economic and educational environment, the opportunities that exist and will emerge for graduates of our schools and programs in the coming years, the importance of a global perspective in a meaningful and productive life, the need for inclusivity in our thinking and actions, the role of sustainability in our future development, and more.

PAST EVENTS

Jacqueline Royster

Jacqueline Royster, dean of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts at the Georgia Institute of Technology and professor of English in the School of Literature, Media, and Communications, spoke about how evolution, rather than revolution, may be the most strategic route for the liberal arts during these extremely fluid times. Royster focuses her research primarily on the rhetorical history of women of African descent. She is a widely published author of articles and books about literacy studies, women’s studies, and cultural studies.

A panel moderated by Susan Baldridge, provost, discussed the value of immersive pedagogy, whether and how it’s changed in the last 100 years at Middlebury, and how our increasingly digital world impacts immersive environments.

PANELISTS
Each panelist had a unique history with Middlebury and a unique perspective on immersive learning.Jason Merrill, Director, Kathryn Wasserman Davis School of RussianRobert Stepto, Professor, Bread Loaf School of EnglishSteve Trombulak, Director, School of the EnvironmentPatricia Rodriguez, Director, School in SpainBeryl Levinger, Professor, Development Practice and Policy Program, Middlebury InstituteSusan Baldridge, Provost, Moderator

Gardner Campbell

Romantic Computing

Gardner Campbell, vice provost for learning innovation and student success and dean of University College at Virginia Commonwealth University, discussed how the paradigm of “romantic computing”—the experience of wonders, uncanny encounters, strangeness, and adventure through technology—can inspire higher education.

Bill Maris ’97

Vermont, Silicon Valley, and the Future

GV (Google Ventures) founder and CEO Bill Maris ’97 has had an unpredictable career since graduating from Middlebury with a degree in neuroscience. At GV he oversees $2.4 billion in capital, invests in startups at the epicenter of science, technology, and medicine, and has funded more than 300 companies in the GV portfolio, including Uber, Slack, and Nest. In this talk, he shared his perspective on how he went from Vermont to Silicon Valley and how entrepreneurs and innovation will shape our future.

Middlebury Institute Campus – Community Conversation

Following the lecture, Institute faculty, staff, and students continued the conversation with a discussion led by Professor of International Environmental Policy Jeff Langholz. The talk considered the implications of Bill Maris’s vision for the future of learning at the Institute.

Middlebury Campus – Community Conversation and Breakfast

Tuesday, April 12 · 8:30 a.m.
Redfield Proctor

Following Bill Maris’s departure, we continued the conversation in Vermont with a special event. The faculty strategy committee hosted a breakfast for all faculty, staff, and students who were interested in sharing ideas raised by this thought-provoking talk.